


Fourth of July

by Laundress (syynthetical)



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Asexual Character, Gen, Growing Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-08-09 05:40:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7788856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/syynthetical/pseuds/Laundress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mostly fluff, a wee bit of angst.  Teenage Virgil's POV.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fourth of July

John makes an awkward gangly teen. His neck is too long and his cheek bones are too sharp, and he moves as if his limbs aren’t fully connected. It confuses Virgil no end when one day his Grandma shakes her head and says fondly, “That boy is going to be a heartbreaker, you mark my words.”

He shares a look with Scott, who seems equally bemused as he is by Grandma’s logic. Then a glob of Gordon’s cereal hits Virgil in the face and he forgets about anything except wiping the floor with his pain in the ass little brother.

It’s not until two years later, when John returns from College for the summer, that Virgil understands what the hell Grandma was talking about.

“John!” Alan squeals, charging down the stairs two at a time.

Virgil chuckles, puts his book down and goes to greet his brother. John has grown. He’s filled out a bit maybe, and he moves differently. That’s all he notices at first.

It’s not until they’re out in the park that he realises that it’s a bit more than that. Girls, boys, men, women, it doesn’t matter about age or gender, they all stare at John. One girl even trips over her own feet.

And John does not notice. At ALL. Scott does though.

It’s the 4th July and the park is full, everyone waiting with their blankets spread out. Virgil’s used to Scott keeping tabs on them all, watchful. Today though he is weirdly on edge, like he’s waiting for something to happen. 

It’s a warm night, the noise of the crowd rising and falling. At one end of the park, people are laying out the fireworks for the display.

Alan has crashed out next to Virgil, sleepy from running around after Gordon for four straight hours. On his other side, Gordon is hiding yawns and pretending that he’s not as tired as Alan, even though his head keeps drooping towards Virgil’s shoulder.

John has clearly been itching to go home since they got there. He’s been buried in a paperback for the last hour. Scott shakes John’s ankle and John looks over the page, eyebrow raised.

“You’ll miss the fireworks,” Scott tells him.

This is obviously not true but John doesn’t correct him. The display is still being set up, another twenty minutes away at least. 

“Yeah okay,” John says amiably, putting away his book. “I’m going for a soda before it starts.”

“Can I have a coke?” Gordon just manages to say through a yawn.

“Not this close to bedtime, kiddo,” John says, clambering to his feet.

He and Scott are busy guessing what the display is going to be like when Scott stops talking mid-sentence, and then he’s on his feet and heading in the same direction as John had gone, a “be right back,” thrown over his shoulder.

Virgil follows the bee line that Scott’s making .A girl and a guy have got John cornered by the drinks stand, pinned in by an effective flanking manoeuvre. They’re both really pretty, Virgil thinks enviously. The girl has long blonde hair and a pretty smile and the guy has dark curls that fall over his forehead. Virgil blushes, glad of the dimming light. 

John looks wide eyed, almost afraid and weirdly that seems to make them keener. The girl is practically shoving her chest in John’s face. And then Scott is there, taking up a stance that somehow looks friendly but manages to block John from their advances. Even from this distance, Virgil can see the edge of protectiveness in the way that Scott is standing in front of John.

Scott has easy charm, has these strangers transferring their attentions to him with just a smile and a few words. Scott and John are of the same height now, both tall and willowy. Although he doesn’t have Scott’s way with people, John is one long elegant line next to him, no longer awkward and gangly and suddenly Virgil can see that John is handsome. Suddenly he can see what Grandma was talking about.

He sighs, feeling uncomfortable in his own skin: squat and short, a bit like an ugly duckling. 

Gordon pokes him, fully awake now and a welcome distraction from what was verging on self-pity.

“Hey, where’d Scott go?” he asks Virgil, blinking at him.

“He went to check on something. How many big ones this year, do you think?” Virgil asks, nodding to where the display is almost set up.

“Eight,” Gordon guesses.

“Sounds about right to me,” he says with a smile and Gordon beams up at him.

When he looks back, Scott has managed to dispatch John’s admirers amiably and Virgil's brothers are heading back to their blanket, shoulder to shoulder, sodas in hand. Alan wakes up in time for the fireworks and they all cheer them on. There are eight big ones, sparkling red, blue and white against the night sky.

“That girl and guy - they were pretty hot,” he says quietly to Scott on the way home.

John and Alan are up ahead, John pointing out the stars to an overexcited, overtired Alan. Gordon trails behind them, yawning and kicking at stones.

Scott gives him a look, as if he thinks that Virgil should have worked this out already. “John’s not interested,” he says, voice heavy with meaning, and Virgil thinks _oh_ and then _oh of course, obviously_. 

Alan squeals, drawing their attention. He and Gordon are racing down the street. Scott grins at him and then takes off after the two youngest. Virgil follows, feet pounding on the sidewalk.

John rolls his eyes at them but is grinning when he catches them up at the street corner and they all walk together towards home.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't worry Virgil, you're going to be one hell of a knockout.
> 
> What is this even? IDEK. 
> 
> I don't have any specific headcanons about John's sexuality, so this is just playing with ideas. Mostly I just like writing about the Tracy brothers. 
> 
> Apologies for the laxness in timeline/ages. Still getting a feel for that.


End file.
